Murder, screenplay among top Exeter-area stories

During the early morning hours of March 7, firefighters were called to 2 Hampton Road to extinguish a fire, but the fire scene quickly turned into a crime scene as authorities found a body on the site.

Comment

seacoastonline.com

Writer

Posted Dec. 31, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Posted Dec. 31, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

These notable news stories also impacted the Exeter area in 2014.

During the early morning hours of March 7, firefighters were called to 2 Hampton Road to extinguish a fire, but the fire scene quickly turned into a crime scene as authorities found a body on the site.

The body was later identified as Amanda "Amy" Warf, who authorities said was a victim of a homicide. Warf was a 1994 graduate of Winnacunnet High School and lived in Hampton. She worked for Exeter Hospital's billing department at its administrative building on Holland Way, about a quarter-mile from where her body was found.

Following the discovery of the body authorities spent the next few days executing search warrants at the Epping home of Warf's ex-husband, Aaron Desjardins.

Desjardins was later charged in connection with Warf's killing, along with his current wife, Sarah Desjardins, and his sister Michele Corson.

All three suspects were indicted in October. Aaron Desjardins was indicted on charges of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit hindering apprehension.

Sarah Desjardins was indicted on charges of accomplice to first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit hindering apprehension.

Michele Corson was indicted on charges of accomplice to first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit hindering apprehension.

The indictments allege that Aaron Desjardins drove his wife's car from Epping to Exeter to kidnap Warf and used a gun to confine her against her will.

Aaron Desjardins then allegedly took Warf to the City Concrete building, where he caused her death by slicing her throat with a knife and then burned her body, the indictment states. A motive for the killing has yet to be disclosed.

Prosecutors say that prior to Warf's death, Sarah Desjardins sent Corson a text message directing her to bring the "roasting pan," which they say was code for gun, to New Hampshire.

Corson allegedly brought with her from Maine a .32 caliber German Mauser pistol on March 6, which prosecutors say was used to hold Warf at gunpoint before she was killed.

Sarah Desjardins and Corson also allegedly helped Aaron Desjardins cover up the murder by helping him shave his head and goatee and providing a false alibi.

Earlier this month, Aaron Desjardins filed court paperwork indicating intends to use an insanity defense when his case goes to trial.

What started as an investigation into an alleged sexual assault by one Exeter High School teacher eventually led to the discovery of a raunchy screenplay and ultimately to the resignations of three teachers.

Social studies teacher Robert Batchelder was placed on paid administrative leave in April after school officials received a complaint he had sexually assaulted a female student in 2009.

In June, SAU 16 Superintendent Michael Morgan placed two additional teachers on leave in relation to the Batchelder investigation after an "original screenplay" was discovered as part of the district's investigation. The screenplay would later become part of the police investigation.

Batchelder resigned from his position on May 24. The other two teachers placed on leave, social studies teachers Mark Forbes and Tod Grossmith, resigned shortly after being placed on leave in June.

All three teachers authored the screenplay that was part of the police investigation, which was titled "Graduation Crashers." The screenplay was laced with profanity, sexual innuendo and talk of illegal activity with students.

The screenplay followed the three teachers, who went by their actual last names in the screenplay, and a fourth teacher as they crashed the graduation parties of students they dislike. There were multiple scenes in the screenplay where the teachers drank with the students and fantasized about doing illegal drugs.

While the screenplay did not include any sexual exchanges between teachers and students, the teacher characters did engage in sexual encounters with students' parents and younger, college-aged women.

Police eventually suspended their investigation into the initial complaint against Batchelder. Morgan said the three teachers did not receive any compensation for their resignations and that from the school's standpoint, Forbes and Grossmith were not implicated for anything other than penning the screenplay.

In November the Exeter Theater Company suspended its efforts to purchase the Ioka theater building.

Tony Callendrello, chairman of the theater company's board of directors, said that for the last year the nonprofit theater company's board did everything it could to raise the funds for the project, including approaching major donors and exploring public/private partnerships. He said not owning the building or having constant access to it was always the deal breaker. He also cited the weak economy as an obstacle in raising enough money to purchase and restore the historic theater.

The Ioka building remains owned by Alan Lewis.

Lewis of Kensington, purchased the building for $600,000 in December 2011 at a foreclosure auction. The nonprofit group had originally hoped to lease the building from Lewis, or have the philanthropist gift the building to the group. However, Lewis wanted the Exeter Theater Company to raise $3.5 million to support renovations of the building before entering into any type of legally binding agreement with the nonprofit.

The nonprofit had raised about $200,000 toward the effort through pledges and various donations but about 90 percent of that was returned to donors, while donations made by the theater company's board members went towards the theater company's expenses.

Lewis has not spoken publicly about his intentions for the building but in a statement given to the News-Letter in November, Lewis said he was committed to preserving the building in some form.

"We hope that the Ioka will be historically preserved and remain an area of community interest and influence," Lewis said in his statement. "We continue to seek a preservation partner with a goal of restoring this vintage theater into a cultural treasure for the Seacoast community."

For much of 2013 the community operated without its Town Hall space.

A lightning strike from a quick-moving, rare April storm started a fire in a second-floor storage room. The fire was brought under control quickly by the building's sprinkler system and contained to the wall of a storage room used by the Exeter Arts Committee, but water damage to the building's main floor and the basement, which houses the town's Finance Department and town records, resulted in a long-term closing.

The town spent much of the spring and early summer waiting for its insurance company to approve the scope of the building's repair work.

The repair work on the building took about 90 days to complete and the building reopened in October.

While the town clerk and the majority of the Exeter's administrative operations are housed in the Town Office building across the street from Town Hall, the closure of the historic building did cause a major disruption as the space couldn't be rented out for community use and several community groups that used the building had to find space elsewhere.

Organizers of Exeter's UFO Festival claimed that the Town Hall not being available for use was one of the reasons the Labor Day weekend festival was canceled.

A year after the American Independence Museum Board of Governors was forced to lay off the museum's four staff members and cancel the museum's fall programming, the museum moved forward with new optimism.

Under a revamped staffing model and a dedicated group of volunteers, the museum was able to extend its fall season into December and is now ready to embark on a formal strategic planning process with the Technical Development Corporation, a consulting firm out of Boston that works with nonprofits.

The goal of the strategic planning process is to build a successful and profitable museum, according to Allison Field, president of the museum's Board of Governors.

Field said stabilizing the museum's finances and then hiring Julie Hall Williams on a part-time basis as the museum's executive director were the first two major steps in getting the museum back on track. The museum has since hired a part-time program coordinator.

Williams said the museum has been able to increase its membership and has even doubled its membership income.

Field said the strategic planning will set out a more permanent path for the museum.

Rockingham County Attorney James "Jim" Reams was suddenly ousted from office on Nov. 6 by county, state and federal authorities.

Associate Attorney General Jane Young characterized the ongoing investigation as pertaining to criminal, civil and ethical matters.

Assistant Attorney General Anne Edwards testified Dec. 19 that the attorney general's office was notified in mid-October about "alleged discriminatory acts." By Nov. 5, Edwards said the attorney general's office, FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office had met with six witnesses outside the county to keep the meetings confidential.

The investigation confirmed some allegations made by Reams' "senior staff" and revealed new "issues" with the county forfeiture account, Edwards said.

During the investigation, the attorney general's office learned of "additional ethical issues." Those matters pertain to the credibility of suspended victim advocate Tara Longo and could lead to opening old cases Longo was involved in, Associate Attorney General Jane Young said.

Reams has asked a judge to order that his suspension by the attorney general was unlawful and to order the County Commission to lift its order barring him from the county complex.

The investigation is expected to last at least into January, according to the attorney general's office.

Selectman Frank Ferraro sued the town under the state's Right-to-Know law in August, claiming that Town Manager Russ Dean had been unresponsive to his requests for information, showing a "clear and consistent" pattern of an unwillingness to turn over public documents.

Ferraro made his initial Right-to-Know request to Dean and Department of Public Works Director Jennifer Perry on July 21, as a private citizen, asking for information about the solar array on top of the DPW building. He claims he didn't receive a response in the five days mandated by state law, while Dean argued that he thought Ferraro made the request as a selectman and not as a Right-to-Know request.

Ferraro would go on to make a formal Right-to-Know request for the information and eventually received it.

Ferraro's decision to sue the town did cause some friction on the Board of Selectmen. Dean said the total cost of defending the Ferraro case was in excess of $10,000.

The year concluded with no decision about whether or not to put a question about the Great Dam's future on the 2014 town warrant.

The decision about what to do with Great Dam is being debated because the state has warned the town it will not wait much longer on it to address a letter of deficiency it sent to the town about its inability to handle a 50-year storm event in July 2000.

The town's River Study Committee completed a report during the year that said the cost of totally removing the dam is $1.2 million, while stabilizing the dam in place by inserting "bundles of steel cables," into the dam would cost $1.16 million, but it would not address flooding or water quality issues. Modifying the dam through the use of a flashboard system would address flooding concerns, but not water quality issues and would cost $2.4 million.

The indecision by the Board of Selectmen about the dam's future frustrated some residents as the year drew to a close. Many residents urged the board to make a decision, so it could apply for a grant that would assist with dam removal.

The board is expected to address the issue again after the new year.

From start to finish, the town's 375th anniversary was a party. Historical retrospectives were held throughout the year to educate residents about the town's rich history, including a comprehensive presentation by Exeter Historical Society Curator Barbara Rimkunas in April.

In August, a 375th birthday party was held for the town at Swasey Parkway. The party included music, a giant birthday cake, and a giant movie screen for an outdoor movie.

The town's 375th anniversary was also incorporated into the town's signature events, such as the American Independence Festival and the Holiday Parade.

The birthday celebration concludes tonight with a celebration at the Exeter Inn.

For much of the year representatives from Exeter and Stratham met in subcommittees to discuss the possibility of sharing water and sewer.

Stratham, which doesn't have water and sewer service, is exploring the partnership with Exeter to extend those services to their gateway district and attract new businesses.

A memo released in October indicated Exeter could receive $8 million to $12 million in revenue during a 20-year period if the talks with Stratham result in agreement for Stratham to hook into the town's water and sewer systems.

A framework proposal called for charging Stratham the same rates Exeter customers pay, along with impact fees and a penalty if Stratham doesn't use the full level of capacity set in the deal.

By December, Stratham also reached out to Portsmouth to inquire about a similar type of agreement with that city.